Author Archives: dsmith

Battle Bluff Hike

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On a cool day in the second week of March, the Battle Bluff Trail was the hike for the day.    The trailhead (N50 44.791 W120 33.921) is signed and the trail heads south, crossing the flats before going up a shallow gully.    The trail then winds up through open forest between low hills before emerging into the grasslands that slope down toward Kamloops Lake.   At 1.1 km, the trail starts the descent to the foot of Battle Bluff, and then crosses a flat grassy area before winding up the bluff. As hikers go up the ridge, the view to the north is of sets of basalt columns on Dewdrop Ridge. There are several possible routes up the rugged … Continue reading →

Deep Lake Loop

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The trails to the Deep Lake area in the east side of Lac du Bois Grasslands Protected Area dried out after the first week of March and provided good hiking routes into the grasslands.    From the trailhead on Ida Road, I hiked the signed Deep Lake Loop Trail.     The first kilometer is uphill through open forest and on sloping ridges to the grassland bench above. A single track trail wound through grasslands to the junction with the Grasslands Community Trail (which is 13 km one way to McQueen Lake). This area is open sagebrush grasslands. The trail continued to Deep Lake, which was still partly frozen.   A single track continues on around and past Deep Lake, connecting to … Continue reading →

Savona to Sabiston Beach Hike

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On a grey cool day in early March we drove to Savona to hike the Savona to Sabiston Beach route.    This is an open (no trees) south-facing sloped area above Kamloops Lake that is one of the first trails to dry out in late winter.  The trailhead is at the end of the Savona Cemetary Road.    The turn is past Savona on the west side of the bridge over the Thompson River.   The trail starts as a double track, then continues east as a rugged single track on the sideslopes above the railway, above the lake. All along the trail we had open views of Kamloops Lake and the hills above.    This view is looking southwest to … Continue reading →

July Mountain Summit

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July Mountain is located in the Coquihalla Summit Area, north of the core peaks accessible from the Coquihalla Highway.    The trailhead now has some access problems.    We used to take the Juliet Creek turnoff, following the road west, then we turned to cross a bridge and followed the rough July Mountain Road up to a parking spot.     The road was really a 4WD access and was grown in, but we could go slowly and park lower if we found the road too challenging.    Then, the July Mountain Fire burned the whole access area and the bridge went with it.    Access to the trailhead now requires a much longer route.     The extended access to the … Continue reading →

Rabbit Island Ramble

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On the first day of March I hiked from McArthur Island over to Rabbit Island.    In late winter the ice clears off and a narrow channel separates the beaches of the two islands.    Since I have done this route many times, I knew what to expect.    The route is to hike over from the corner of McArthur Island onto wet beaches.    I had already put on a dry suit and neoprene boots and I had my hiking boots in a dry bag.   The narrowest part of a river channel is about 12 m across.   I waded through the cold moving water.   The deepest water came up to my knees, but since the water is quite cold. … Continue reading →

Hiking the West Beaches

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On a mild end-of-February day we started a hike at the end of Aviation Way to go out to the West Beaches.    The route starts on the Rivers Trail, but we stayed on the narrower trail which follows the river downstream and out toward the Thompson River Estuary, looping back along the river for a 8 km, 2+ hour hike, much of it on the sand. A single track trail winds through the cottonwoods above the floodlands, bearing west. A single track drops down into a dry slough, following a single track past an old vehicle graveyard, sometimes called Dale’s Antique Beach. We emerged to the beach shoreline, then wound through the red-osier dogwood to the beach.   We went … Continue reading →

Hiking the Estuary

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By the end of February a route that I try to hike is from the entrance area to Tranquille down to the shoreline where streams flow into the river, then along the rivershore toward Cooney Bay.    The whole area floods in late spring, but it is a wide estuary in the other seasons.   Conditions are wet after snowmelt, but we can pick our way downstream to get to a gravel beach. There are several streams which flow from the hills down to the river.    A faint trail heads southwest toward the wider estuary. We can follow the shoreline of the river, which braids out into several channels between silt islands, some still with ice. The beaches become wider … Continue reading →

Mad Dog Mountain

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There are a number of fine hikes to the summits of peaks in Marble Range Provincial Park.    Among the best are Mt. Bowman,  Wild Horse Ridge, Mt. Kerr, and Lime Ridge.    But there are some lesser-known and seldom-hiked routes too.    Mad Dog Mountain is a rocky peak standing between Mt. Bowman and Lime Ridge.   There is a trail which follows Foundation Creek to the lower slopes of the mountain.    The trail is mostly used to summit the northwest end of Lime Ridge, but a marked junction to a faint trail turns north and works its way up Mad Dog Mountain. Most of this area was burned in a forest fire in 2010.    We wound up … Continue reading →

Tuktakamin Mountain Hike

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When we drive from Kamloops to Vernon, we go through Falkland in the Salmon River Valley between two mountains.     The mountain on the north is Estekwalan Mountain, one of the best hikes in our region.    On the right (south side) is Tuktakamin Mountain.    It can be accessed from the Pinaus Lake Road, and 4WD vehicles can even drive to the top where there are some towers.    Hikers can drive part way up, then hike a loop route over the top of the mountain. The trailhead is found at a sign on a tree above the road (N50 27.31 W119 35.48).    It is easy to miss on the way up. The trail winds through the forest, … Continue reading →

Clapperton Ridge Snowshoe

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By mid-February the colder temperatures gave way to better conditions for outdoor activities.    I drove north through Lac du Bois Provincial Park to the upper end of the grasslands just south of McQueen Lake.     I snowshoed an old cart track through an open bowl, then a forested section (douglas fir and aspens), to the open grasslands of the Lac du Bois Conservation Area.    My goal for the day was to get to a viewpoint on the southwest side of Clapperton Hill. The winter sun shone bright through thin clouds as I followed stomped-in tracks to the ridge. I crested the ridge and stopped to enjoy views over the grasslands, to Mount Mara, and over to Wheeler Mountain. … Continue reading →